Tom
What’s more disappointing than an NYC downpour? It’s impossible to hail a cab. The streets emanate a greenish sludge. Subways. The stench. Oh, the stench.
Rain doesn’t need to be the Lex Luthor to your Superman, the oil to your water, the French dressing to your vanilla ice cream. While most New Yorkers spend rainy days holed up in their apartment, hiding from each sprinkling splatter, you, the Superman, can, should, and will traverse the city without harm—except for the possible greenish sludge on your pants.
On the next rainy day (knowing the city it’ll be tomorrow), here’s are some great activities to try:
1. Hit up the Museum of…Sex: If you live in NYC, you’ve likely visited the stereotypical museums: the Met, MoMA, the Museum of Natural History. What about the Museum of Sex? Dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural significance of sexuality, the museum dives into a world of traditional, not-so-traditional, and “WTF, that’s real?” MoSex is part humorous and terrifying, but all together an enlightening experience. It’s also the perfect cure for rainy day blues.
2. Read at a Public Library: This doesn’t mean sit on your sofa and glance at the latest Time Out. Grab a poncho visit one of New York City’s remarkable public libraries. Whether you’re looking for the latest Nicholas Sparks romance, 18th Century Irish Poetry, or, well, ahem, a different type of reading material. There’s no better place to get lost in a book. Find one near you!
3. Learn to Knit at Lion Brand Yarn Studio: Do rainy days make you want to curl into bed, warm up, and watch Netflix all day? Wait, that sounds every Sunday. Still, if cuddling next to something soft sounds rainy-day-perfect, knitting is the exact remedy. Since most knitters collect AARP checks, here’s a perfect basic knitting class to teach the craft—sparkle people. Remember you can’t spell “knitting class” without glints.
4. Indulge in a Martial Arts Class: To the workout freaks without a gym membership, here comes your savior: the thousands of dance studios, dojos, and fitness centers offer cheap classes to schedule on a rainy day workout. In this city, everything from the intricacies of the two-step tango to the arm-breaking tendencies of Krav Maga can, will, and should, be learned at all times. Who knows when you’ll need to know how to break someone’s arm during a two-step tango?
5. Puddle Hop: Sometimes it’s necessary to tune your inner fifth-grader. It seems to be a perfect date idea: Puddles yields cuddles. Again, watch out for colored water…and anything green.
6. Bowl at Brooklyn Bowl: “Bowling’s generally the activity you do after you’ve done everything else.” Albeit true, romanticize the only American sport stuck in the ‘70s. Fanaticize about who else’s fingers were inside that ball. Walk a day in someone else’s shoes—literally. But honestly, what’s better than relaxing over a few beers, some live music, and completely failing at the lazy man’s game. Also, QuestLove regularly makes appearances here.
7. Learn how to Cook a Pizza: Too many New Yorkers avoid the kitchen. Some of us haven’t cooked a meal in, say, three years. Some of us mistake “boil” for “broil.” And, still, some of us have used ketchup as pizza sauce. Please, on the next rainy day, enjoy an pizza-making class. Dates should never include anything with a “ketchup base.”
8. Chelsea Market: Indulge in a tasty tour of the world. In very few places can you get imported Italian Olive Oil one second and then, a few steps later, purchase the finest Moroccan spices, followed by Aussie wine tasting? As the rain washes away the streets, embark on a journey through the international streets of Chelsea Market.
9. Watch People Avoid Puddles: NYC is filled with characters. On rainy days, those characters venture through the city, failing to hail cabs (THEY’RE ALWAYS FULL DURING A DOWNPOUR!), wandering with odd purpose, or simply puddle hopping their way to the bowling alley. Even USA Today agrees. C’mon, what sparks more emotion, both positive and negative, when you see a stranger step into a puddle that’s two inches deeper than expected?
10. Movie Day at Nighthawk: Let’s be real. Most days are “movie” days—with Netflix, DVR, and torrents. Brooklyn’s Nighthawk provides the ultimate “kill two birds with one stone.” Dinner and a movie. No need to cook up Lasagna or sneak-in M&Ms because Nighthawk does the movie experience right, providing a literal crunch with each punch in the latest action flick.
11. Drink the day away at some classic pubs: Sometimes the only solution to a rainy day is a stiff drink and some good company. Check out this list of the best rainy day bars.